In many applications, a power consumer, such as a load or device, changes its need for power during operation. Such a power consumer functions best when that power is provided within a reasonable range of voltages (for example, within 10% of a target (rated) voltage of the device). An ideal regulator is able to supply different levels of power while maintaining the supplied power at a constant voltage level despite changes to the magnitude of the supplied power.
A practically implemented regulator (such as, for example, a semi-regulated regulator circuit) typically lacks various capabilities of an ideal regulator. Although a practical regulator is typically designed to provide constant or near constant power at a desired target voltage, performance of the typical practical regulator suffers when the power demand of a power consumer changes dramatically. Dramatic power changes in power demand may occur, for instance, when a data transmitter device switches from transmitting data at a low data rate to transmitting data at a high data rate.
The description above is presented as a general overview of related art in this field and should not be construed as an admission that any of the information it contains constitutes prior art against the present patent application.